Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

　　這是一個媽媽、兩個女兒、兩隻狗的故事。這個故事原本要說的是中國父母教養小孩比西方父母高明之處。

　　然而後來說的卻是激烈的文化衝突、一閃而逝的光榮滋味，以及一個十三歲孩子是如何挫掉虎媽的銳氣的。看完蔡美兒教授的經驗，你將對東西方教育方式的差異有更深的體悟，也將重新思考，什麼才是真正適合孩子的教養之道。

　　所有的父母都想做對兒女最有利的事。西方父母盡可能尊重子女的個體性，鼓勵他們追求自己真正感興趣的事，提供正面的支持與培育的環境；反之，中國人認為，保護子女的上上之策，就是讓他們為未來做好準備，讓他們看清楚自己能做什麼，讓他們具備技能、好習慣，以及自信，因為這些是別人拿不走的。

　　虎媽認為，童年就是訓練期。對蘇菲亞和露露來說，這表示要上中文課、練習數學，每天還要練兩、三小時樂器（連出門度假也不間斷，周末時練習時間還要加倍）。然而得到的成果說明了一切：這兩個女孩子都是非常優秀的學生：有禮貌、樂於助人、成績優異；露露贏得康乃狄克州小提琴神童獎，蘇菲亞則十四歲就在卡內基音樂廳登台演奏。

　　然而在這些成就的背後，卻要付出極大的代價。虎媽在一次練習中，威脅要燒掉蘇菲亞的填充動物玩偶；從露露三歲起，虎媽就對這個任性的小女孩毫不留情，自此兩人的戰況愈演愈烈。然而虎媽對自己的要求和對女兒的要求一樣高，她的犧牲──付出大量時間和精力、甘心忍受傷心痛苦，在在表現出她對女兒深深的愛。

　　《虎媽的戰歌》顯露出東、西方教養世界觀的衝突，然而歸根究柢，這個故事說的其實是一個母親對兩個女兒所懷抱的希望，以及她心甘情願為投資她們的未來所做的冒險。

　　An awe-inspiring, often hilarious, and unerringly honest story of one mother's exercise in extreme parenting, revealing the rewards-and the costs-of raising her children the Chinese way.

　　All decent parents want to do what's best for their children. What Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother reveals is that the Chinese just have a totally different idea of how to do that. Western parents try to respect their children's individuality, encouraging them to pursue their true passions and providing a nurturing environment. The Chinese believe that the best way to protect your children is by preparing them for the future and arming them with skills, strong work habits, and inner confidence. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother chronicles Chua's iron-willed decision to raise her daughters, Sophia and Lulu, her way-the Chinese way-and the remarkable results her choice inspires.

　　Here are some things Amy Chua would never allow her daughters to do:

　　．have a playdate
　　．be in a school play
　　．complain about not being in a school play
　　．not be the #1 student in every subject except gym and drama
　　．play any instrument other than the piano or violin
　　．not play the piano or violin

　　The truth is Lulu and Sophia would never have had time for a playdate. They were too busy practicing their instruments (two to three hours a day and double sessions on the weekend) and perfecting their Mandarin.

　　Of course no one is perfect, including Chua herself. Witness this scene:

　　"According to Sophia, here are three things I actually said to her at the piano as I supervised her practicing:
　　．Oh my God, you're just getting worse and worse.
　　．I'm going to count to three, then I want musicality.
　　．If the next time's not PERFECT, I'm going to take all your stuffed animals and burn them!"

　　But Chua demands as much of herself as she does of her daughters. And in her sacrifices-the exacting attention spent studying her daughters' performances, the office hours lost shuttling the girls to lessons-the depth of her love for her children becomes clear. Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is an eye-opening exploration of the differences in Eastern and Western parenting--and the lessons parents and children everywhere teach one another.

　　本書中譯版《虎媽的戰歌》由天下文化出版。

作者簡介

蔡美兒　Amy Chua

　　耶魯大學法學院約翰．達夫講座法學教授。第一本著作《著火的世界》（World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability）為《紐約時報》暢銷書，同時也被《經濟學人》和英國《衛報》選為二○○三年年度好書。第二本著作《帝國時代》（Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance─and Why They Fall）是廣受好評的《外交》（Foreign Affairs）雜誌暢銷書。目前與先生、兩個女兒，以及兩隻薩摩耶犬居住於康乃狄克州紐哈芬市。

　　Amy Chua is the John M. Duff Professor of Law at Yale Law School. Her first book, World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability, a New York Times bestseller, was selected by both The Economist and the U.K.'s Guardian as one of the Best Books of 2003. Her second book, Day of Empire: How Hyperpowers Rise to Global Dominance-and Why They Fall, was a critically acclaimed Foreign Affairs bestseller.